Finance Committee Elects Walsh Chair, Huss Vice Chair

Finance Committee · Meeting of September 9, 2026

East Bridgewater Finance Committee reorganizes, previews a costly fall warrant. Members elected David Walsh chair, Jennifer Huss vice chair and Karen Gilman secretary, then approved a $9,000 Reserve Fund transfer for a Central Street land survey. Fire Chief John DeSala pitched roughly $200,000 in ambulance-receipt funding to staff all shifts at six firefighters, citing overlapping emergency calls "77 percent" of days over two months and lost revenue near $18,000 in a single month.

The panel also reviewed a $250,000 stabilization-fund request for a police and fire facilities study, a $500,000 brownfield cleanup notice article for the former Precise Engineering site, and a contested plan to reimburse the opioid fund $18,000 for vape detectors the state says weren't an allowable expense. Resident Hester Reed told the board the arrangement "sounds corrupt." No warrant-article votes were taken; officials will finalize figures before Special Town Meeting.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,177 words

Source: the Finance Committee meeting of September 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.